


All The While I Couldn't See

by TheGirlInThePinkScarf



Category: Baseball RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, New York Mets, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 09:00:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14233845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGirlInThePinkScarf/pseuds/TheGirlInThePinkScarf
Summary: “Wow. You honestly can’t see it, can you?” Zack realizes.“See what? What are you talking about?” Matt wonders.“You’re in love with your best friend,” Zack points out.





	All The While I Couldn't See

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HarveyDay33](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarveyDay33/gifts).



> I’m not going to bore you guys with the long story about why I’m posting a Valentine’s Day fic two months late, LOL!
> 
> I wanted to post it though since it was finished, so here it is!
> 
> Title taken from the same song the lyrics came from.
> 
> I hope that you all enjoy!

* * *

  _I've been around you_

_A thousand times before_

_And you've always been a friend to me  
_

_But now I'm wanting more_

**_I’ve Been Thinking About You- Mariah Carey_ **

* * *

“So, what are your plans for tomorrow?” Jacob asks over the phone.

“I took a vacation day, so I’ll have all morning and all afternoon to spend with Zack,” Matt answers.

“That sounds nice. Have fun!” Jake tells him.

“I will, thanks! He’s working the night shift, so that leaves time for me and you to go eat dinner like we always do on Valentine’s Day,” Matt says.

“Wait, what? You still want to honor our dumb little tradition?” Jacob questions.

“It’s not dumb, Jake! And yeah, of course, I still want to honor it. Why wouldn’t I?” Matt counters.

“Because you have a boyfriend now. And I thought you only took me out on Valentine’s Day because you felt sorry for me,” Jacob admits.

“You’re my best friend and I love you. That’s why I always take you out. Because you deserve to feel cherished and appreciated, especially on a holiday that tends to make single people feel lonely and inferior. Me wanting to make sure that you have a great day doesn’t change just because I’m with someone this year,” Matt explains.

“Ok. Pick me up at eight?” Jake checks.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then,” Matt replies.

* * *

Matt orders breakfast from his and Zack’s favorite place that delivers brunch because he’s feeling a little lazy this morning. They talk him into ordering some cheesy Valentine’s Day special that comes with heart-shaped pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Zack is just waking up as the food arrives. He can’t help but smile as he watches his boyfriend prepare to serve him breakfast in bed. Matt walks his tray of delicious smelling food over to him. There’s a vase with a single flower in it and also a card on the tray. He greets Zack with a sweet, closed-mouthed kiss on the lips.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Matt tells him.

“Thanks, Matt! Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too!” Zack repeats.

* * *

After they finish eating breakfast, they shower together, and get dressed. Then they take Matt’s dog, Ollie to the dog park. It’s an unseasonably warm day, so they’re not cold as they walk around in light jackets. Matt asks Zack if he wants to exchange gifts before or after their afternoon which includes going to the spa and grabbing lunch. He hints that Matt’s gift is something that can be used later, so that they should wait. He tries to get Zack to slip up and tell him what he got him, but he’s too smart to fall for Matt’s amateur tactics. Matt’s pretty excited to find out what his boyfriend bought him. He’s also looking forward to seeing the look of happiness on Zack’s face when he unwraps his present.

“I bought Ollie a gift,” Zack reveals.

Matt smiles. “Me too!”

* * *

Two hour massages plus facials have Matt and Zack feeling relaxed and refreshed. They have a light lunch, but they’re still in the mood for a nap when they get back to Matt’s apartment. They don’t even make it to the bedroom, they just pass out right on Matt’s couch in the living room. There’s a soft blanket for them to share, so they don’t even get cold. The couch isn’t quite big enough for both of them, but Matt and Zack find a way to make it work. Matt lays down first and then Zack gets on top of him. He tucks his head underneath Matt’s chin and they both fall asleep.

* * *

“Zack, wake up! You’re going to be late for work!” Matt yells in a panic when he looks at the clock.

Zack blinks slowly. “I’m not working tonight. I meant to tell you that earlier. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Oh, sorry about interrupting your sleep then,” Matt apologizes.

“No, it’s time for me to get up anyway. We can open presents now!” Zack says.

“You’re opening mine first though!” Matt lets him know.

“You aren’t going to get an argument out of me,” Zack replies.

Matt hands him an envelope. “I really think that you’re going to love this. Happy Valentine’s Day, Zack!”

“Two Mets tickets and a plane ticket?” Zack asks with a confused look on his face.

“You told me that you always wanted to see a game at Citi Field with your dad. So, he’s going to fly up here for a weekend so that you guys can go! I already called him to make sure that the dates work for him,” Matt explains.

“Wow, Matt! That’s amazing. Thank you so much!” Zack exclaims.

Matt smiles. “You’re welcome.”

“I have to go get your gift from upstairs. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Zack tells him.

* * *

“I spent like my entire paycheck on this, so you better appreciate it!” Zack half-jokes.

As soon as Matt sees the garment bag, he knows exactly what it is. It’s the dark gray Armani suit (complete with the dress shirt and tie that he liked) that he talked himself out of buying for Christmas. It’s no secret that Matt loves his expensive suits and he more than appreciates Zack buying this for him. It totally makes sense now why Zack randomly asked him for his measurements last month. And why he has been working so much overtime lately. Matt walks over to his boyfriend and he pulls him in for a passionate kiss.

“I was hoping that you would want to wear this tonight,” Zack mentions.

“Tonight?” Matt asks.

“Yeah. I made us reservations at that ridiculously expensive restaurant that you love,” Zack remarks.

“That’s so sweet of you to surprise me like that,” Matt says with a grin that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“You don’t look happy. What’s wrong?” Zack wants to know.

“I thought you were working tonight, so I made plans. That’s all,” Matt says.

Zack’s eyes grow wide. “You made plans with someone else on Valentine’s Day?”

“Yeah. Jake and I have this tradition where we go out to dinner every year,” Matt explains.

“Did you buy him a gift?” Zack questions.

“Yes,” Matt answers.

“So, you scheduled a secret _date_ with your best friend and you bought him a present for Valentine’s Day. Do you not see the problem here?” Zack asks.

“It wasn’t a secret and it’s not a date!” Matt argues.

“If I asked you to cancel your plans with him, would you?” Zack challenges.

“No, because—”

Zack cuts him off. “It’s because you would rather spend your night with him, Matt.”

“That’s not true, Zack. I just don’t want him to be alone tonight,” Matt tries to explain.

“Wow. You honestly can’t see it, can you?” Zack realizes.

“See what? What are you talking about?” Matt wonders.

“You’re in love with your best friend,” Zack points out.

“ _What?_ I’m not in love with–that’s not even–you’re so wrong about this,” Matt stammers.

“Look, I’m just going to pack up all my shit that I’ve left here and I’ll be gone by the time that you get back,” Zack says.

“But I love you,” Matt tells him.

“I know you do. But you love Jake more,” Zack counters.

Matt knows that there’s nothing he can say to change Zack’s mind at this point, but he also knows that he should at least attempt to fix things. As he follows Zack into the bathroom where he’s gathering his travel toothbrush, tooth paste, and shower gel, Matt can’t muster up the energy to fight for their relationship. He does legitimately love Zack, but the thought of being without him doesn’t make Matt’s chest ache. And Matt loves him enough to let him go. Zack was a friend first and Matt just wants him to find happiness. It’s clear that their relationship isn’t mutually beneficial anymore, so it’s time for them to go their own separate ways.

“Tell him how you feel, Matt. There’s not a chance that Jake’s not in love with you, too,” Zack says.

“But—”

Zack interrupts him. “What we had was _nice_ while it lasted. You love me and I love you, but we’re not meant to be together. Your heart is with him and it probably always will be. So, just follow your heart. You’ll be so happy that you did.”

* * *

Matt keeps replaying Zack’s words in his head during the entire drive to Jacob’s place. His body language is tense and he has a death grip on the steering wheel because he’s absolutely sure that Zack is reading into things incorrectly. Of course Matt cares about Jake and of course they’re close. They’ve been friends since they were kids and Matt has often had to protect Jacob from other people, so their bond is a little tighter than what is considered normal. It doesn’t mean that he’s in love with his best friend though. Matt is so lost in his thoughts when he knocks on Jake’s door that he’s actually caught off guard when he answers. He attributes the beat that his heart abruptly skips to the shock of seeing Jacob.

“You look nice,” Matt compliments.

“Thanks, so do you,” Jake tells him.

* * *

“You were quiet the whole drive here. Is something bothering you?” Jacob wants to know.

Matt pauses. “Me and Zack broke up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. He was nice and I actually liked him,” Jake says.

“I don’t even fully understand the break-up,” Matt comments.

“Does anyone ever _truly_ understand a break-up?” Jacob asks.

“It’s just the fact that he said something that . . . ”

Matt trails off when he sees their waiter coming. He has honestly never been more grateful than he is now to be interrupted while talking. Although he’s sort of in the mood for something stronger, Matt ends up just ordering water. His hands are shaking as he flips through the menu which is strange for him. There are very few things that legitimately make Matt nervous enough to show physical signs of his anxiety. He’s so glad when their waiter brings their drinks because suddenly he’s parched. Matt nearly finishes off his water in one long swallow and Jake raises his eyebrow at him.

Jacob touches Matt’s quivering hand. “You’re acting so strange tonight, Matt. What the hell did Zack say to you?”

Their waiter is back to take their food order this time before Matt can answer Jake’s question. He’s a creature of habit so Matt orders the filet mignon like he does pretty much every time that he eats at this particular restaurant. Of course, Jacob is the opposite and never really knows exactly what he wants. Matt reminds him that money isn’t an issue and he encourages him to get whatever he wants. He completely forgets that Jake’s hand is still on top of his until Jacob nervously squeezes his fingers. Matt finishes the rest of his water to distract himself from the slightly intimate contact.

“I’m having a hard time choosing because this whole bottom part of the menu on the second page looks delicious!” Jake exclaims.

“He’ll take that whole section of the menu,” Matt says in a serious tone.

“What? Matt, no! There’s no way I can possibly eat all of that!” Jacob points out.

“Then you’ll just have leftovers for a few days,” Matt argues.

* * *

“Are you acting impulsively because of the break-up or . . . ” Jake trails off.

“He accused me of being in love with you,” Matt blurts out.

“ _Oh_?” Jacob says.

Matt nervously folds and unfolds his napkin. “He’s totally way off base though! Like sure, we’re really close. Are you the first person that I call if something amazing happens to me? Yes. If I’m upset about something that’s really not that important, I go to you because you’ll always put my privileged ass in my place. If I’m feeling down for a legitimate reason, then I’ll call you because you always know how to make things better. You’re the one person excluding my parents that I know I can always count on. You’re the sweetest, most incredible person that I know. Your smile and your eyes are so kind and beautiful. You’re _beautiful_ , period. God, you’re everything that I want. Oh, shit. Maybe I _am_ in love with you.”

Jake laughs. “Jesus Christ, Matt! I knew that I was in love with you when we were like 16!”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Matt wonders.

“Because you would have freaked out. You weren’t ready to know before now,” Jacob explains.

“Am I really that predictable?” Matt asks.

“Yes. But that’s only because I know you so well,” Jake says.

For the first time all night, Matt feels completely relaxed and free. He certainly didn’t envision his Valentine’s Day ending like this, but it’s perfect. Matt really is enjoying dinner with the person that he wants to be with the most. He feels extremely stupid for being blind to his feelings for so many years. Matt apologizes and then he sincerely thanks Jacob for being so patient with him. Jake tells him that even after more than a decade of waiting, that he never truly lost hope. He always knew that Matt would figure things out on his own time and he didn’t want to rush him. Matt laughs because he knows just how stubborn that he can be. He agrees that Jacob letting him have his own epiphany worked out for the best.

“I still can’t believe that you ordered me like a week’s worth of food!” Jake mentions.

Matt shrugs. “To be fair, you’re not exactly the best cook.”

“That is actually true,” Jacob agrees.

“Of course, there’s nothing stopping me from cooking you dinner every night now,” Matt says.

“There really isn’t. You wouldn’t want me to get any skinnier because I’m not eating much, would you?” Jake jokes.

“Absolutely not! So, I’ll fatten you up with some of my mom’s great Italian recipes,” Matt tells him.

* * *

“Thanks for helping me clean out my fridge so that there’s room for all of these leftovers,” Jacob says.

“No problem,” Matt responds.

“It’s kind of late, but I’m not working tomorrow. So, if you want to stay . . . ” Jake hints.

“I’d love to stay. Although I feel bad that I accidentally left your gift at home,” Matt remarks.

“You _are_ my gift, Matt. You’re all that I’ve ever wanted,” Jacob reminds him.

“Sorry that I was an idiot who made you wait for so long,” Matt apologizes.

“It’s ok,” Jake lets him know.

“It’s totally my fault that you were lonely and that you didn’t really date anyone,” Matt realizes.

Jacob shakes his head. “I tried to date, but it became evident very early on that it was just a waste of time. None of those guys were _you_ , so it was pointless. I found guys to hook up with though when the mood struck. It didn’t really matter to them if I was thinking about you instead.”

“I probably shouldn’t find that hot, right? That you were fantasizing about me while some clueless dude was fucking you,” Matt whispers.

Matt walks closer to where Jake is resting against the counter. He steps forward until he’s in between his best friend’s ridiculously long legs. Matt runs his fingers through Jacob’s hair which is shorter than he’s used to it ever being. He tenderly caresses his cheek and Jake shudders from the light touch. Matt hasn’t been this nervous about kissing someone since he was an inexperienced teenager. He slowly brushes their lips together because he doesn’t want to rush this. They both moan simultaneously when Matt’s tongue finally enters Jake’s mouth. The kiss starts out slow and patient. But that changes when Matt feels Jacob’s hard-on digging into his thigh. He deepens the kiss as he grinds his dick against Jake’s.

“Oh, shit,” Jacob breathes against Matt’s lips.

“I’d take you to your room and fuck you properly, but I don’t really want to move right now,” Matt admit.

Jake pulls his body closer. “Don’t move. We can get off just like this, Matt.”

The wet spot that’s already forming on Jacob’s jeans agrees with his statement. Matt brings their lips back together as he unbuttons Jake’s dress shirt. He pulls his pants down next and of course his adorably shy best friend blushes as his nearly naked body is on full display. Matt makes quick work of taking off his shirt and pants, so that Jacob has something else to focus his attention on. He laughs when Jake bites his lip flirtatiously and playfully whistles at him. Matt positions his hands onto Jacob’s slender hips to hold him in place. He thrusts his hips forward, pushing their dicks together. Jake tilts his head back in ecstasy and Matt takes advantage of his neck being exposed.

He remembers Jacob telling him once how sensitive that his neck is. So, Matt brushes his lips up and down the soft skin. He smirks when Jake shivers and gasps in response. Matt’s gentle kisses soon turn into love bites as he continues rubbing against Jacob. Jake’s hands make their way down to Matt’s lower back. Matt’s caught off guard in the best possible way when Jacob suddenly slips his hands into his boxers to firmly grope his ass. The wet friction from all the pre-cum that they’re leaking adds to their pleasure.

“You feel so good, Matt!” Jake groans.

“I love seeing you like this. You have no idea how fucking beautiful that you are,” Matt praises.

It’s nothing new to Matt that he finds Jacob attractive. It’s just new that he realizes his feelings aren’t platonic like he always assumed that they were. Matt is pretty sure that he’ll never get tired of watching Jake like this. He tightens his grip on Jacob’s hips so that he can grind even harder into him. Matt hasn’t gotten off like this in quite some time, so he almost forgot how intimate and sensual that it is. He loves how nearly every part of his body is touching part of Jake’s. Matt has never had this much skin-to-skin contact and still somehow craved _more_.

“I’m so close,” Jacob whispers.

“Me too,” Matt says.

His eyes desperately want to close, but Matt forces them to stay open. He absolutely doesn’t want to miss seeing Jake come completely undone. Matt can see imprints from his fingertips on Jacob’s skin and suddenly he’s feeling very possessive. He kind of wants to mark him up in more visible places so that everyone knows that he’s now taken. Matt settles for nibbling at the area just above Jake’s collar bone. He wants to see _all_ of Jacob, so he yanks his boxers down to his knees.

Matt does the same with his own underwear before he takes both of their cocks into his huge hand. He makes a fist and he slides his hand up and down their shafts. Matt squeezes around the tip just how he likes it and Jake trembles. He does it again and this time it sends both of them over the edge. They hold onto each other closely so that neither of them loses their balance. Matt’s hand is covered in a mixture of their cum, so he brings his fingers to his mouth. He takes his time licking his fingers clean. Matt wants Jacob to get a taste, so he gives him a long, passionate kiss. Jake laughs after he pulls away.

“What’s so funny?” Matt asks.

Jacob shakes his head. “Nothing really. It’s just that if you would have realized your feelings for me back when I realized mine for you, our first time probably would’ve been just like that.”

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that. I’ve been a dumb ass for over a decade,” Matt apologizes.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it, Matt. Besides, you’re my dumb ass now,” Jake says as he pecks Matt on the lips.

**Author's Note:**

> I have some other mostly finished Matt/Jake stuff that I’m going to post, mainly some of the ficlets from my Tumblr.
> 
> I don’t want to spam the baseball tag, so I’m trying to work out a schedule of when I want to post things. (Because there’s a ton of them!)
> 
> I’d love to hear your thoughts about this fic (or any suggestions about how I should post my unposted things) in a comment!


End file.
